Folk Beliefs and Customs (Cheung Chau Jiao Festival)
The Cheung Chau Jiao Festival is a traditional folk custom that worships the God of Xuantian and is held regularly at the Pak Tai Temple on Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong. The Jiao Festival, also known as the "Qing Jiao", "Da Jiao" and "Qi An Qing Jiao", is a folk custom activity that evolved from a traditional Taoist ritual. The Jiao Festival is held in the fourth month of the lunar calendar every year. The two main activities are the bun grabbing and the float parade. During the Jiao Festival, three bamboo scaffolds will be set up in front of the Pak Tai Temple to form a bun mountain more than ten meters high. Each bun mountain is hung with about 16,000 lotus seed buns with a red "longevity" character printed on them, also known as "peace buns". The bun grabbing is usually held on the last night of the Jiao Festival. After the village chief gave a command, the contestants climbed up the bun mountain to compete for the buns. It is said that the more buns you get, the higher your fortune will be, so the competition is fierce. The buns you grab will be distributed to other residents to "share the fortune." The parade of floats is crowded with spectators; the lion and unicorn dances are full of joy and excitement. More than a hundred years ago, the event was organized by a committee composed of residents who were enthusiastic about participating in the affairs of the Jiao. Since 2004, the "Hong Kong Cheung Chau Tai Ping Qing Jiao Committee" has been established as a permanent organization for the event, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has supported it. This project is of great significance to inheriting the fine traditions of the Chinese nation and enhancing the identity of Chinese culture. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)